Tag Archives: #IntheDark

Hey there! It’s been a minute. I know I say that a lot but I know y’all forgive me because life happens.

I haven’t been idle though, just busy writing and living. Okay let’s get into what I want to talk to you about today. God’s timing…

Chapter 14 of my book In The Dark talks about seasons of business. We more often than not compare our planting season to another’s harvest season. In my devotional this morning I read this and decided to share. It’s exactly what I aimed at portraying for #Christianpreneurs •
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Do I claim to have mastered it all? No. But I’ve mastered enough to empower and encourage those who are going through the wildernesses or pastures. There’s no benefit in what I’ve learned if I don’t teach/share with other’s. I love my fictional characters but I’m also an entrepreneur and I go through, gains, loses and the wait/process in between. Here’s the excerpt.
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“The same is true for God’s timing and our preparation. Our job is to not run ahead of Him or lag behind. We should take natural, commonsense steps that are in line with His Word so we will be ready when He delivers our heart’s desire. As we step out in faith, He will show us the way by either opening doors or closing them. Sometimes that will require we do a new thing, and sometimes it means doing what we already know to do.”
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Just a thought, if David has become a King when he was anointed, he might not have been the greatest psalmist known to man.
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Ready to learn strategies to navigate the dark? Order your copy of the book and you get a complimentary Prayer Journal. Click here

Hi there! Welcome back to my blog. Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to an author that I absolutely admire. If you haven’t read one of her books, do yourself a favor and get them. I loved Coming Home and The Someday List 🙂 She has a new venture Life Untapped. The stories on there are so relatable. I’m going to step aside and let her tell us more.

Unoma: Who is Stacy Hawkins Adams?

Stacy: I would describe myself as optimistic, loyal and somewhat shy. But behind what appears to be my reserved demeanor is a fun-loving, big-hearted person who wants to enjoy life to the fullest and wishes the same for others. I am a natural encourager; so seeing others thrive makes my heart smile. I’m also a deeply devoted mom, a lover of all things chocolate and a big fan of naps. Most importantly, I am God’s grateful daughter.

Unoma: In 10 words or less can you create a quote that describes you and your purpose journey?

Stacy: I write and speak to encourage, uplift and inspire others.

Unoma: What is the driving force in your life?

Stacy: My relationship with God and honoring Him in all I do is my driving force, whether that be through my writing, my role as a devoted mother to my two children, or in my role as a sister, friend, colleague and community member.

Unoma: How do you balance family, faith and your passion/business?

Stacy: Ecclesiastes 3:11 is one of my life scriptures, and I’ve embraced the fact that life happens in seasons, and so can our purpose and passion. I do a lot of things (write fiction, write nonfiction, work a full-time job beyond writing, parent, volunteer, etc.) but I don’t always do them all at once! In some seasons I read more than I write (intentionally); in some seasons my role as a parent means other activities and goals must be sidelined; in some season they’re clicking all at once. As life ebbs and flows, so do my patterns of busyness and need, and I try to go with the flow and trust God’s timing for making it all come together as it should.

Unoma: What was the single most devastating experience/challenge in your life and how did you overcome it?

Stacy: Grief is always difficult, so I could say the loss of my mother 12 years ago; but about as difficult as that experience was going through divorce, because in many ways divorce is a death, too – death of your family as you knew it and death of many of your dreams. I’ve been a single mother (who co-parents with my children’s father) for about five years, and that complete shift in my life and my children’s lives was huge. As any divorced person can tell you, overcoming this isn’t easy or fast, especially after a long-term marriage. But through much prayer, patience, self-care and support from loyal family and friends, my journey has shifted to one of discovering and appreciating beauty from those ashes. Persistence in this process has helped me ensure that my children having loving relationships with both of their parents and also has strengthened my inner peace and joy. (And FYI, because I have such a vast body of writing under my name Stacy Hawkins Adams, I don’t plan to change it, whatever the future holds. It will remain my pen name – or at least one of them.)

Unoma: How do you build confident expectations in your dark moments?

Stacy: I am an optimist by nature, so I always try to find a “silver lining” in whatever dark moments I encounter. I also deeply trust in Romans 8:28 and believe that every thing will eventually work out for my good, as long as I’m operating in integrity and excellence.

Unoma : How does your understanding of the future give you hope for the present?

Stacy: I know that I can’t control the future; all I can do is give my best and be my best today. If I focus on doing that well, it’s just like climbing a set of stairs: you can only take one at a time, but if you keep moving forward, eventually you’ll reach your desired destination. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds of this: God has a future for us that is amazing and purpose-filled; we just have to do our part to get there.

Unoma : What does it look like practically for you to “turn to the cross” in your business/ministry.

Stacy: For me that is something I do daily, whether dealing with my routine tasks or facing an extraordinary opportunity. It means revisiting particular scriptures that are my anchor; making sure I maintain a weekly prayer call with my prayer partner in addition to my constant conversations with God, and seeking wise counsel from fellow believers who I know have my best interest at heart.

Unoma: What advice would you give your younger self?

Stacy: I would tell my younger self it’s okay to not always get it right. Sometimes the failures or missteps we experience are necessary to learn important life lessons, to become empathetic toward others or to grow in some way that will eventually help us live out our life’s purpose. I know for sure that the challenges and losses I’ve faced have not only made me stronger, but also have helped me empathize with others more deeply, and grant them the benefit of the doubt more than I might have otherwise.

Unoma: What can we look forward to from you this year? OR What are you working on?

Stacy: While I love writing fiction, I will spend most of 2017 focused on my nonfiction writing, which is also a passion. I recently launched a new blog (www.LifeUntapped.com) and I’ll be marketing and growing this platform this year, along with blogging more regularly for The Huffington Post and sharing my writing in essays and articles. I also am toying with the idea of writing a short story or two, so stay tuned!

Wow! I hope you enjoyed that. Reading this makes the Stacy’s books I’ve read make so much more sense. I simply love them. You wanna know more about her…

Bio

Stacy Hawkins Adams is an author, journalist and writing mentor whose fiction and nonfiction help readers find confidence in their own stories. She has penned nine faith-based novels and one devotional book. Her recent titles include The Someday List, an Essence bestseller; Coming Home, a 2012 Target stores Recommended Read; and FindingHome, a finalist for a 2016 African American Literary Show Award. Stacy also serves as the parenting columnist for a Virginia-based newspaper and blogs occasionally for TheHuffington Post. Learn more about Stacy at www.StacyHawkinsAdams.com and visit her blog at www.LifeUntapped.com.

Nest week is our finale with Lara Mfon and with that, I’m sad to say that we have come to the end of this series. Please feel free to click on the category and read stories that you have missed. I promise you will be encouraged and empowered.

You are never alone in your struggles, the plan is to whatever you do, hold on to His promises and His plan.

Have you ordered your copy of In the Dark? What are you waiting on. Click here

If you have been folowing me for a while you would be no stranger to Nigeria Lockley or as I like to call her sissy. She is my adopted online sister and business bestie. So you know I couldn’t do a series without having her on here to give you her insight. I could talk about her all day long but let me step aside so you could read for yourself.

Unoma : Who is Nigeria Lockley?

Nigeria : Nigeria Lockley is a child of the most High God, unapologetically walking in her passion and purpose. In the past whenever I would answer questions like this I would always rattle of a bunch of titles until I realized that being my titles are not where my identity lies. My identity is in my creator.

Unoma: In 10 words or less can you create a quote that describes you and your purpose journey?

Nigeria: Pressure is preparation for promotion.

Unoma : What is the driving force in your life?

Nigeria: Christ’s commitment to me is the driving force in my life. I all that I do is to reflect the change He made in my life and the second chance, or rather multiple chances He’s given me. I’m not one of those people who discovered their gift late or accidentally. I’ve known I wanted to write since I was a very young child, but I squandered my gift and spent a number of years just smoking weed, partying, drinking, and not living up to my potential.

Unoma : How do you balance family, faith and your passion/business?

Nigeria : Faith first, ME (this is capitalized purposely) next, family, and then everything I am passionate about. Many women sacrifice themselves for some greater cause, “motherhood”, “marriage”, or “business”, but I’ve discovered that if I’m not okay nothing else I do is going to be okay.

Unoma: What was the single most devastating experience/challenge in your life and how did you overcome it?

Nigeria: At sixteen I found out that my father had moved from his super. That was probably the most devastating experience I ever had. Before that happened my father had what I would describe as a good relationship, so I thought of the reasons I should forgive him and I forgave him. I learned to be thankful for his absence. I accepted Romans 8:28 as my verse for this situation when I came to Christ–everything that I am is because of my father’s absence not in spite of. And since I’m one of the women you selected to interview for this series that means I didn’t turn out too bad.

Unoma: How do you build confident expectations in your dark moments?

Nigeria: At this point now I do two things–I recall the dark moments that He has guided me through and when I am still feeling discouraged I turn to my best friend who is centered in Christ and only gives me about a day to mourn whatever I’m in the dark about and then it’s time to move like I know God.

Unoma: How does your understanding of the future give you hope for the present?

Nigeria: I don’t understand the future at all, so it doesn’t inform my present. Rather, my understanding of God and His ironclad promises give the hope to get through present situations that might be distressing.

Unoma: What does it look like practically for you to “turn to the cross” in your business/ministry.

Nigeria: In my business turning to the cross is me praying before I write a book, fasting before making huge decisions, and just sitting still (I know it’s hard to believe), but after I pray I just sit and listen for a response or I pray for a vision and clarity.

Unoma: What advice would you give your younger self?

NIgeria : Serve God wholeheartedly. My younger self was into so much and constantly backsliding. Ever since I turned myself over fully to God there isn’t a door He hasn’t opened for me. Could you imagine what my would be like had I submitted sooner.

Unoma: What can we look forward to from you this year? OR What are you working on?

Nigeria: This year I’m hoping to release at least two books, Berri & Delilah, and Saving Grace and some ebooks on marketing for authors.

Here’s more about Nigeria,

Bio:

Nigeria Lockley possesses two Master’s degrees, one in English Secondary Education, which she utilizes as an educator with the New York City Department of Education. Her second Master’s degree is in Creative Writing. Born at Dawn is Nigeria’s first published novel. Nigeria serves as the Vice President of Bridges Family Services, a not-for-profit organization that assists student parents interested in pursuing a degree in higher education. She is also the deaconess and clerk for her spiritual home King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Church of God. Nigeria is a New York native who resides in Harlem with her husband and two daughters. Join her online at http://www.NigeriaLockley.com

Verse: Roman 8:37 Now, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!

In total transparency, how to manuals are today’s hot cake. Why? Because people aren’t willing to fail so we want to know how someone else did “it” so we can skip the hard parts. One of the reasons is we equate failure with scorn rather than a learning opportunity.

Fear shouldn’t keep you so paralyzed that you don’t try, Failure doesn’t mean you cant pick yourself up and keep working in service, for example Peter in spite of his self-confidence and his great boast, denied the Lord, as did the rest of the disciples who fled before the evening our Lord’s arrest was over

What’s the worst that can happen? You learn and try again. Falling down isn’t the issue, staying down is.

How to bounce back

 Acknowledge their failures and refuse to hide behind any lame duck excuses.

 Confess any sin to God when sin is involved is involved in the failure.

 Study or examine what happened so they can learn from the failure.

 Put it behind them and move ahead

Anchor Verse: Phil 3:13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead.